Life Conquers Death
by Yesterdays-ambition
Summary: All it would take was a simple mistake, the smallest oversight on the part of two flawlessly accurate men to cause the downfall of the other. There are no prohibited lengths to which a man will prove another’s guilt and another his innocence  LLight
1. A Late Night Decision

Life Conquers Death

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Summary: All it would take was a simple mistake, the smallest oversight on the part of two flawlessly accurate men to cause the downfall of the other. There are no prohibited lengths to which a man will prove another's guilt and another his innocence (L/Light) 

Disclaimer: All credit for Death Note, including characters, original plot and remarkable quirkiness's of certain characters should be given to Tsugumi Ohba. Having the ability to visualize these characters and places are attributed to Takeshi Obata.

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Chapter 1: A Late Night Decision 

It was rather extraordinary how one word could be utilized to tie up such a convoluted philosophical idea. Justice. It was this one word that expressed the will to, if at all possible, create equality where inequality could easily develop. It provided numerous liberties that included the right to live. With a basic understanding of justice, a normal person would be led to agree that murder was wrong. Intentionally robbing someone of their life should and would eventually lead to a just punishment.

It was a shame that normal was such a relative term.

Watari had once asked L when he was still very young what made him believe his justice was right in comparison to anyone else's. The question had caught the boy off guard since there had never been any reason to question his logic before. Given, he had been asked when he was no older than five, but it had given him something to think about before pursuing his career as a successor to the former L.

He'd returned to Watari within an hour with what he thought to be a reasonable answer. This was only after every judgment he had ever made and could recall in his short life was revisited and painstakingly reconsidered.

"_What makes you right, Lawliet?" Wammy repeated while looking up from a thick stack of documents on his desk as a disheveled child entered the room._

"_What makes me right…" L tested the words in his own mouth to make certain he would answer appropriately. "Justice is blind."_

_This granted L a rather unexpected look from his new caretaker. Not that he cared to revise his statement, but clearly the older man was not satisfied with the reply. His predecessor, or at least that was what Wammy aimed for the man to be for Lawliet, was extraordinary with words and reasoning. It was only natural that this curt response met with Wammy's disapproval._

"_There is nothing greater than justice." L amended himself. "I have the power to enforce it without the desire to internalize that power. I cannot be tyrannical without that desire, though I don't assert that I am above using that strength against whomever it takes to provide justice. Laws can be manipulated and evaded since they are mostly created through corrupt legislation, but I am impartial to laws. One cannot hope to be justice when bound by law."_

"_You hold yourself above written laws, then?"_

"_Yes." L's bare feet pattered against the marble floors as he closed the space between himself and Wammy. "I am Justice."_

Now there was a chasm in the word justice that was being produced for the entire world to see. Two opposing interpretations that threatened to destroy the other in order to reestablish the definition were now at war. L was blind to the falsity and corruption that the enforcers of law had to offer, but that had been almost too easy to accomplish with the detachment he created for himself via Watari and his computer.

Kira had drawn L out of hiding- no, L had elected to reveal himself to spite Kira, and now there were a handful of men who knew the identity he was willing to disclose to them. One fact without substantial evidence that could not be overlooked was that L had also revealed his face to Kira. That in itself didn't worry L, however, he had also been forced to do the same for the second Kira.

Blind, impartial, right or wrong, Justice would be determined with the death of L or Kira. At this moment, Kira definitely had the upper hand.

----

The faint glow of computer monitors in a darkened room did nothing to remind either occupant what time it actually was. Not that a reminder was essential, L thought to himself with slight annoyance as Light's hand moved lethargically to his mouth in order to stifle a yawn. Several hours had passed since Soichiro, who was consistently the last of the investigation team to leave, decided to make his way home. That had to make it nearly four thirty in the morning. That much could be concluded without either a clock or natural lighting.

Thoughts of that kind were nothing but interruptions. Why should he care to predict what time it was? But even Kira grew weary and slept. Now that was a feasible notion. Had he not once decided that Kira may have been a student who would, of course, sleep at roughly around this very time?

Yes, Kira would almost definitely be sleeping, or at the very least, tired. It could effortlessly argued that anyone would be drowsy after staring at papers and computers for twenty one hours. But Light had come off as someone willing to sacrifice sleep, which L considered trivial anyways. His efforts were crumbling with yet another half yawn. The yawn itself could simply be the outcome of many years of strict sleeping habits, but L didn't need to disprove what he already held to be true.

And the truth was, he was sitting next to a young man whose sleeping habits were similar to what he envisioned Kira's to be. He was sitting next to Kira.

"Light-kun," L's voice, however quiet he attempted to be, startled the younger man. "It would be greatly appreciated if you'd please not use your chained hand to shield your mouth. In any case, manners are pointless since no one is here to judge you by them."

Light barely acknowledge the other young man with much more than a sharp glare before clearing his throat to speak. Before he could verbalize his thoughts, he was interrupted.

"Kira's actions, however noble they seem to the general public, are wrong."

Light eyed his counterpart as he took special care to read into L's statement. It hadn't taken too long for him to learn that L said things in hopes of incriminating his only real suspect. At times it was almost impossible to respond in a way that satisfied his own opinion without evoking further suspicion form L.

"I agree." Light said with a sigh. "I can't imagine they'd accept that what you're doing is right any more than they'd be willing to call Kira a murderer."

"Even if the method he uses to punish murderers is in fact murder?" L seemed more than content to ignore Light's own jab at the way he handled the investigation.

"Obviously not." Light continued, his eyes falling to watch the steady pace at which L was typing. "Naturally we have information that allows us to see a side of Kira that others are more than willing to pretend doesn't exist."

"So if they had that information, what would they think?"

"I can't speak for such a wide range of people, but I highly doubt they would think differently about him. Kira, even if he is revealed to them as a executioner, gives them a sense of security that not even the police can offer."

L extended his hand towards a cup of tea he had neglected since it had been brought to him earlier in the evening. He touched the side experimentally, as if the heat hadn't yet escaped from the dark liquid inside. There would have been some level of disappointment if he had truly been expecting such an outcome, so L settled for pushing the cup of cold tea away and turned his attention back to Light.

"Kira is fulfilling their idea of what God is. There aren't many who see the acts of God as being bad, or evil."

"That is true." L agreed.

"I admit that I'm not an expert in regards to religion around the world, but in each I'm sure there are at least a few stories where even God kills man in order to restore peace. Some see that as…"

"A justifiable sacrifice." He finished softly. All productivity since L had begun speaking had ceased, rendering the investigation at a standstill for the evening. Neither appeared ready to leave the computers that allowed them to track Kira's movements. Light instigated the first movement by extending his arms over his head and stretching.

"You're more talkative tonight than usual, Ryuzaki." Light commented. "Can I safely assume that you _don't _have ulterior motives for bringing up something that doesn't necessarily seem related to what we've been researching?"

"Light-kun would be wrong to ever assume without sufficient evidence." L carefully shifted one tucked leg off the chair and onto the floor, then the other. "I assumed some vocal stimulation would prevent you from feeling fatigued. It can safely be said that we are now both in the wrong."

Light was unable to stop himself from expressing his irritation with yet another glare, though that was interrupted before it could fester too much. The moment L had stood, he had failed to mention that they would be relocating and Light's left wrist was snapped upward. It was only because Light had the slightest weight advantage over the gaunt detective that L was incapable of dragging him along.

"Maybe you are not as tired as you appear to be, then." L said, his eyes fixated on the door he intended to exit through.

"We're not staying here?" Light said almost disbelievingly. The handcuff that bound the two together had caused more conflict concerning personal habits than it did to prove Light was Kira.

Aside from the first night L claimed that the handcuffs were the only efficient way to constantly monitor Light, they had not slept on a bed. That he was even allowed to that first night was a small loophole L hadn't calculated. He couldn't very well have Light, whom the police officers still believed was innocent, sleep anywhere that they could call torturous. The last thing he needed was for them to interfere with Light's containment. L only needed to maintain that appearance for the first night, after which most worries were put to rest and forgotten all together when they moved the headquarters to L's newly constructed establishment.

Since then, Light opted for resting his head on the table. That is, he could very well ask L to move somewhere better equipped for resting, but to do so would be admitting defeat. If not defeat to Ryuzaki, which was something he could accept since he was his prisoner, then to Kira.

The position was still awkward and often left his shoulders and neck horribly stiff in the morning. But fighting sleep for the sake of saving himself some pain would not help him solve the Kira case. He was afforded some comforts, such as a blanket draped over his back or a small pillow placed just at the side of his face. Judging from the curious look he received from L the moment he awoke, he was sure these little luxuries were brought to him by Watari. Although that brought about another perplexing observation: L had not slept in the near two and a half weeks since Light's release from prison. Or at least that's what it seemed like since Light had not seen it himself.

"I would not have stood if my objective was to remain here, Light-kun."

With that, L was rewarded with slack in the chains and he continued towards his destination. In all honesty, Watari had encouraged L to use the room that had been built then quickly remodeled specifically for L's and Light's use. The room itself would have been an insult to the word lavish. Four white, empty walls enclosed two beds that were located within mere inches of one another. A desk had been clumsily shoved at the foot of one of the beds at L's request with a computer connected to the ones already at use downstairs.

It had yet to even be turned on.

The fact that Watari had even mentioned that L should allow Kira to consume the fruits of his labor had upset him more than he cared to admit. L would be lying if he didn't confess that his own lack of motivation often left Light to make up for the work that was being left undone, and therefore he should receive something akin to gratitude. Though it was much easier to brush off Watari because the man was the founder of an orphanage and most likely just couldn't stand to see Light, who was still quite young, suffer.

Well, regardless, Light was not Kira. For now.

L stopped abruptly before a door and pushed it open. If he hadn't already been slouching, L's frustration would have been seen by a slight drop in his shoulders. This was definitely a waste of his time. Psychological conditioning had wired his mind to associate this particular room set up with the promise of sleep. He already knew that he had maybe a few more hours before he, too, would begin to feel tired. But by that point Light would have already attained the rest necessary to continue his day.

Light examined the room briefly but chose not to judge the room's appearance. He busied himself by unbuttoning his shirt until L impatiently pulled both of them forward and stepped up onto one of the beds. There would be no work done tonight, L determined, making the computer useless.

"If this was such an inconvenience to you," Light began as L reached over, unlatching the cuff for a moment to allow Light to remove his shirt before hastily locking it once more.

"Light-kun, I've expended any need for discussion."

Light didn't respond, but it was apparent that he was angered by L's interruption. He turned his back to the detective and they both fell into silence.

L waited intolerantly for sleep to overcome his thoughts. Another hour passed, and the space resonated with the soft and steady breathing emitted by the sleeping teenager on the other bed. L looked over, his eyes long adjusted to the scarcity of light, and felt jealous at the ease Light had fallen asleep.

Strands of auburn hair fell across Light's face, his mouth parted slightly to amplify his breathing. Though sleep came quickly for Light, his body seemed to fight it as his limbs lay in an inelegant arrangement. He laid as though he had been giving great effort to stay on his back, but Light's right leg was kicked over the other, and his left arm hung off the bed.

Or was it the handcuff that his body was fighting against?

Yagami Light possessed a great amount of fight within him, regardless of his state of consciousness.

This had earned him a position next to L that very few people had ever been allowed. Not that Light essentially respected this, he was the only Kira suspect after all.

L scanned the ceiling, his mind racing with ways to have Light confess his guilt. It was a shame though, a waste even.

For many years now, L had been nourished with the most extravagant desserts and drinks that could be found in any given country he was working in. Sometimes work demanded so much attention from the detective that L would forget about his food or drink, as he had once again done tonight, and it would decay in front of him, taunt him even, until Watari removed it from his sight.

Light was one of the most fascinating people L had been fortunate enough to come across. Though his demeanor had changed drastically since they first met, and even more since they had attended the university on occasion together, Light was truly the closest thing L had to an equal. And like so many sweets that had gone to waste under L's presence, Light would soon be taken away.

A plan was needed, and personal feelings had to be put aside. L had his intellectual equals in Winchester. Light was just one of thousands of people he would come to know, though many were known from a distance.

This youth now content in his dreams would wake soon, innocent eyes desperate to prove to L that he was not a murderer. But as they both lay in the same room, there was no denying that their hands were stained with the blood of necessary sacrifices. Light had somehow forgotten and L could simply justify himself. The next one to bleed would bleed to death in the hands of the other.

Light would remember soon enough how he killed all those criminals. L already suspected that Light had done something, whether it be a clever act or actual amnesia, to discredit L's investigation thus far. While everyone was fooled, there was a chance that once Light remembered he would have obtained the means necessary to kill L.

"I won't die." L declared. He sat up with new resolve and would wait for awareness to return to Light.

* * *

Continued

* * *

I've noticed that many Death Note fics begin with the exploration of these two's sleeping mannerisms, and I hate being repetitive, but things will fall into place soon. 

I'm still slightly new to this anime. I actually stumbled on a site that explained episode 25, I decided to give this show a chance. I have to say, I was still caught off guard and deeply saddened even though I was prepared for what happened. Now I'm in… denial isn't the word, but I'm regretful that such a character would go to waste to easily. With that said, I may make mistakes in the timeline, though I'll sure try my darnedest not to.

There is a very interesting triangle here, that encompassing L, Light, and Misa. She may not be my favorite character, but Misa triggers events that throw off even L. It's clear that L has a little infatuation with her, though I assure this will -not- pair these two together… necessarily.

This may, as a warning to what seem to be the minority for this anime(those who don't appreciate L/Light pairings), become a slight L/Light... uh, pairing. Let's face it, for lack of other characters and my own distaste for other, unknown characters, these two make a pretty good pairing.


	2. Unfortunate Recollection

Life Conquers Death

(Insert disclaimer giving credit to due person here)

Chapter 2: Unfortunate Recollection

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God does not make mistakes, but if He did who would know? If such a possibility exists, that is, if God really could be inaccurate, the attributing factor was a flaw in translations, a misinterpretation, anything to steer away the blame because God, well, God is absolute. Besides, what really needs to be - or rather - wants to be explored in the writings from any god to his followers is the survival of the soul. 

The promise that there is a continuation of life after the physical body dies motivates a person to cling to a belief that has no proof. It allows errors to be overlooked and reasoned.

Errors such as a god who created beings in his own image, then punished them for gaining knowledge. As if that was not a great enough loss, man continued to endure punishments from their angry god in the form of floods and plagues. Still, if religious stamina proves strong enough and they remain faithful without questioning their angry and judgmental god, salvation could be theirs.

L had come up with his own conclusion about God when he was still young. The world was full of evidence that reasonably contradicted any religion. What repeatedly amazed L was the blind eye people turned towards the evidence placed in front of them.

L knew the stories from the Bible, of course, he had spent some time in England. The banishment from Eden could have been God's way of showing that man could not handle knowledge and should have been content living naively in the image of the divine. Or perhaps God had been trying to hide knowledge to prevent pain and suffering.

Knowledge would eventually lead to the recognition of facts. Without, who would question the factuality of a single entity creating everything out of nothing? Questioning a higher power does not serve to quell the fear of a mother whose child is sick nor does it send assurance to a dying man who has accomplished nothing of what he expected he would.

God is good and knowledge is punishable and evil. While God could heal and save, facts were what backed the diagnosis of illness, what informed them death was inevitable. Therefore, evidence is thrown aside in favor of the intangible.

Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, any form of religion existent currently and in the past surpassed facts. Now there was Kira. How many flaws did Kira have? How many innocent lives had been lost in his warped attempt to save the world? He was not even serving to save his supporters souls.

This world was rotten, L could agree to that much.

People were so entranced by immediate relief that they would not look at Kira as the murderer he actually was. Instead, they had given him praise, offered up names and photos of whom they deemed evil, and created a god out of a simple man. Out of a child.

L could not underestimate children, though. Specifically this child-minded teen attached to him by the wrist. To underestimate and be wrong was a grand miscalculation that was afforded only to gods who could not be killed.

During another less than productive day for L, a discovery had been made by Light concerning the case against Kira.

It could be said that the sting felt in L's pride hurt far more than the punch to the face he received by Light's hand earlier when he had stated that his motivation was gone. He was appreciative that a break had been made as Light triumphantly announced his findings on Yotsuba to L, but Light was a suspect, not the detective.

"Light-kun has been quite a beneficial addition to the investigation team." L remarked as he sorted through the lists of suspicious deaths of businessmen ranging from heart attacks to accidents.

"It only took a bit of research. I'm sure if you had tried harder you would have noticed the link between Kira and Yotsuba long before I could." Light offered his staged humility.

"That is possible. The idea that Kira could kill by means of anything other than a heart attack had yet to even cross my mind." Vacant black eyes met with Light's. "It's almost as though you knew to look for this."

"Like I said, it was research. Looking at it now, you would have related the two just the same." There had been a time, when L first met the younger prodigy, that Light had been reserved with the emotions he displayed on his face. Periodically, he would even hesitate as if deciding which emotion suited the given situation. After his imprisonment, this was no longer the case. The resentment in his eyes said enough to L that the comment was not only _not _appreciated, but may very well lead to another battle. "Being ambitious about catching Kira doesn't make me Kira, Ryuuzaki."

"Perhaps it doesn't, but that is not for you to decide, Light-kun."

Contrary to what Light had asserted, it was his ambition that L suspected the most. There was nothing debatable about the sharp decline in crime following Kira's introduction to the public. L's presence in the world had caused no such regression despite his renowned position as three of the smartest detectives.

Kira had taken a radical step above justice. To decide that a single person, or a small group of people, have the power to judge others took great ambition. The kind of drive it took to justify murder as justice was something only few people could devote their lives to.

Ambition alone wasn't enough to pinpoint countless murders on Light. But really, how many leads needed to be traversed before one eventually turned up proof? The longer the case took, the more time Kira had to reach his goal and the less time L had to live.

Head tilted to the left, L gingerly ran the tip of his finger over the grainy surface of a neatly stacked tower of sugar cubes. If he wasn't careful they would tip over and probably land on the papers Light had occupied his time with. He had to take a chance, though. Those granules weren't sticking to his fingers with the light pressure applied thus far.

He pressed on, breath held forcibly within constricted lungs as he maneuvered his finger across the most grainy cube which just happened to be located in the middle. A thin layer collected across the tip, the mission was a succ-

"Ryuuzaki!"

The cubes crashed down, fracturing across white documents.

Matsuda was oblivious to the problem he had inadvertently caused, as expected from the would-be officer. Clumsy footsteps accompanied the sound of the doors being slammed open. L spun his chair around without meeting the Light's eyes.

"Misa-Misa's phone! I mean, the one I use to keep contact with her, I think I've lost it!" He panted out the useless information.

"That's unfortunate, Matsuda-san." L replied.

"No, I don't think you understand the effect this will have! How irresponsible will it look if the tabloids got hold of this kind of blunder? This could ruin Misa-Misa!"

"I hardly think it'll be that devastating, Matsuda." Light flicked the sugar vehemently from the table. "It's just a phone."

"You're right, but…" L was thankful that Light was humoring Matsuda by consoling him about this latest 'blunder.' He needed time to think.

Killing by means of something other than a heart attack. With that kind of power, Kira could have hidden himself much better and the possibility that anyone would have noticed would have been far less than it was now. Advertisement of that control over life had benefited both Kira and L, admittedly. Without that important clue, the immature Kira wouldn't have caught the attention necessary from the criminal world and the equally immature L would probably not have accepted the case at all.

The only time in which Kira had not been interested in drawing attention to himself had been at the very beginning.

"Kurou Otoharada," L spoke to neither Light nor Matsuda, though his murmur had not gone unnoticed. "It's so vague I question the usefulness of even investigating it, but the possibility of Kira knowing this after Otoharada's murder may be important."

"That's nearly impossible, Ryuuzaki! Just think about it, people die all the time. How would we even begin to search for murders related to Kira that don't involve heart attacks?" Matsuda shouted with complete aversion to the idea.

Kira first tested his ability to kill on Otoharada when his attempted kidnapping appeared on a television broadcast, L knew this much. Nearly immediately afterward the number of deaths due to heart attacks, specifically those of incarcerated criminals and even those who had been released, had risen dramatically. There was a small window of two days between the murder of Otoharada and the initial large group of criminal deaths.

Kira wanted everyone to realize criminals were his targets so he could control them with fear. Purposefully hiding this other capability would allow Kira to easily disguise deaths he hadn't wanted noticed. Whose death was hidden and for what reason were definitely things that needed to be examined.

This was taking a big step back from the current investigation, but those first months Kira had gained his murder weapon could potentially turn up a mistake. He hadn't thought that Otoharada's death would have been connected to him, and it may never have been if the NPA had continued on its own. Kira's underestimation of his own movements gave L the first break in the case back then.

A level of uncertainty must have accompanied Otoharada's death, a theory that was enforced by the pause between that death and the commencement of his killing spree. Kira was a tactful adversary who would have taken his time to understand what he was truly capable of before continuing.

At that time, Kira must have become aware of this other power. And as with Otoharada, there must have been a test subject, someone's death who had yet to be noticed.

God made a mistake, L thought as a smirk reached his lips, and this oversight of his would not stay hidden for much longer.

"Watari," L had now gained the curiosity of the other two as they both listened in. Not for the first time since the inclusion of the police force, L thoroughly wished for some privacy. "I would like a list of anyone who died in the Kanto Region between November 28th after six-thirty pm and November 30th just before the first cardiac arrest was reported in a prison. Pay particular attention to anyone who died within Tokyo."

"I'll have it sent as soon as possible."

"Thank you." The screen displaying a gothic letter L flicked off, leaving L back in his thoughts. He already had one person's death in mind, nevertheless he could not discount the chance that he was wrong or that Kira had used more than one guinea pig

"Matsuda, you should start shopping for a new phone. Maybe you could have Misa accompany you?" Light suggested.

"Uh, it sounds like you guys could use my help and now you want me to…" Matsuda's words faded when he came to an understanding with the young student. "Good luck in whatever you're investigating."

The door closed with a click, leaving the pair alone.

"You think Kira has used this power before?"

"Yes."

Light already knew the answer and to ask would only infuriate him, yet he needed to hear it come from the detective. "How are you going to pinpoint a victim to Kira?"

"The first death was Otoharada, a murderer. Subsequently, the prisoners began dying. From the very start I presumed Kira had been bent on purifying the world of evil since no innocent lives were taken until the members of the FBI died. As to how I'll be pinpointing a victim, I'll be looking for the deaths of anyone known to others as deviant."

"That's ridiculous. You can't assume people won't lie about a person's character."

"No, I can't." L opened his mouth slightly, clamping his teeth down upon the edge of a calloused thumb and spoke through regardless of the obstruction. "I already had a list of suspects, and one remains until this day. Light-kun, I would appreciate it if you would tell me where you were within the span of those two days and what you did during that time."

"That was almost a year ago," Light frowned. Though it was a reasonable request, this latest assertion that Light was Kira bothered the teen. No matter what he did, what he sacrificed for this case, he would always be the primary suspect in the eyes of Ryuuzaki. He wanted to clear his name by finding Kira, wanted to know how someone so opposed to murder could be the utmost suspected individual, and wanted to release his anger into the jaw of this disheveled detective all at once. "I'll see what I can remember."

"That would be favorable. To put you at some ease, I am also reopening the investigation on the rest of your family as well as the Kitamura family."

"Thanks, I've never felt so relieved."

Light followed a very predictable schedule that changed only on rare occasions during high school. Of those two days, the first was Friday, so he would have been at school for the majority of the time. Light knew with a fair amount of certainty that he would not have done anything bad, much less murder someone in the presence of his peers. That left that evening and the next day to account for.

He had been taking a preparatory class a year ago which also cut down his likelihood of murdering anyone. Normally he would watch the news or do some research online regarding the events around the world. That was no help for Light's argument. Kira found his victims via media outlets as well. He vaguely recalled watching the same channel that reported Otoharada's insubordination.

_He'd killed six people at that point. Would I have wanted him dead for that?_ Light thought desperately. That wouldn't have made sense. There were times, even now, when he wanted someone to pass away, but willing it to happen in his mind did not mean it would actually take place.

Anyone watching the evening news saw that act of violence and many of those viewers might have privately said they wished Otoharada would die. There was nothing suspicious about that.

Now, once he'd gone to class he'd witnessed the financial victimization of a classmate. The reason he could still remember this was that it was always the same young man who was asked to lend money to his 'friends' relentlessly. This had gone on for months. If Light thought to rid the world of evil people he may have considered those bothering the teen. They were, if memory served, still alive and quite healthy. But they had been in class at the time.

In spite of everything, this supposedly insignificant moment brought up something about Light himself that was disappointing. He prided himself with his strong sense of duty and justice and despised and resented people who disregarded those virtues. Yet he sat there all those months and silently allowed this injustice to ensue.

He could reason that he couldn't save everyone who struggled in life, but that was only a cover for the fact that he also resented people who were powerless. His failure to act, when it came right down to it, was a sign of cowardice. The same kind of cowardice of a murderer who hid behind the name Kira and refused to show his face or even prove his existence to his followers.

After class he would have gone right back home. There seemed to be something missing though, and it was much harder for Light to remember this forgotten moment. There were shops along the way home, but he had never been interested in stopping in any of them. He kept to himself in that prep class and therefore would not have been with any friends that evening, either.

There'd been an accident that night.

Takuo Shibuimaru.

An accident. Another means of killing people. He had watched Otoharada die that evening as well.

"I don't mean to interrupt your train of thought, Light-kun, but I thought I'd share with you what I hope to find with this information."

Cold sweat ran down the back of Light's neck. How had this all so suddenly come down to him? He couldn't remember killing anyone. Fear was clouding his reasoning ability. He didn't kill Otoharada, even if he would have wished him dead. He hadn't killed those classmates even though he had thought the world would be better off without them. Shibuimaru was speeding without watching where he was driving. It was an accident that would unfortunately land even more suspicion on Light.

He wasn't Kira. He wouldn't kill people for justice because the concept was so contradictory. He wasn't Kira because, if he was, he wouldn't have let such evidence slip up. Evidence like this would link himself to this mass murderer and he would be caught. Then executed.

Light felt as though he was losing his mind. Nothing was making sense because it made so much sense that he was Kira. In his mind he was breathing heavily, though he was actually very composed. He wasn't thinking straight, there was no use in sharing this information with Ryuuzaki right now. He needed time. For now, Light would let Ryuuzaki talk.

As long as Ryuuzaki was still planning, it meant he had no proof of anything. Light had time to find the real Kira, the one who had given Yotsuba the power to kill. As long as there was still an investigation, as long as the murders continued without Light doing anything, he would not die.

"What is it, Ryuuzaki?"

"I once worked with a woman who was extremely intelligent. She was greatly under-celebrated and was later convinced to leave her job while at the peak of her career. I was disappointed when I learned about this all because the law enforcers in this world lack the common sense and wit she possessed."

"You sound enamored by this woman." Light teased.

"She left her job because she was engaged. It was probably the most absurd reason I'd ever heard for leaving the FBI."

"The FBI?"

"Yes. It was ironic that her fiancée was one of the twelve FBI agents sent here to aid in the Kira investigation. Her fiancée's name was Raye Penber, the same investigator who had been following you, Light-kun."

* * *

Continued

* * *

Just to clarify this now, I realize the beginning of this chapter deals with a sensitive subject, and the best way to make enemies is to discuss religion. This is not a bash on religion, this is simply one side of the argument I wish to explore because it does play a key role in this series. Please don't take what is written out of context, it's not meant to offend anyone. Thank you. 

I didn't plan on taking so long to update this next chapter, but right after I posted the first chapter, slept, and re-read it for the millionth time, I spotten (heh, I know) a rather embarassing oversight of mine. I was a little discouraged to say the least and thought about ending this story. It really has no relevance and doesn't harm the plot at all, but it's with some shame that I say that I've read the 5th volume of Death Note so thoroughly that I might as well have it committed to memory. And I still didn't pay attention to the fact that - here it is (I was going to ask for someone to guess, but I don't want to uncover other potential mistakes, heh) - Watari is not named as Watari to Light until _after_ Light connects Yotsuba to Kira. Therefore, in the last chapter he would not have known who left the blanket or pillow. Eh.

I'm use to writing for animes that have a larger fanbase, so I experienced some writers block upon the realization that I wouldn't have as many reviews as before. BUT! I do appreciate the reviews I've gotten because they are high quality. Forget quantity if I get more reviews like the ones I have now.

I ammended some words in my last note because I wasn't as clear as I wanted to be. I didn't, however, change the word infatuated because that was the wrong word choice on my part. Attracted? I would say that is likely because L is an admitted fan of Misa's.

I'm still dusting off some writer's rust. I went by a different penname here at fanfiction for a couple years, but I've been so busy with work and school that I haven't had time to do anything. I'm started fresh with this.

If at any point I start losing the character's true um... character, please let me know. I'm trying my absolute best not to mess with them because the plot can be easily changed, but if the characters change, then what is really being written? As for the deaths... I guess for now I'll say I'm not sure.

Please review if you have the time! Thank you!


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